Apparatus for making stranded wire structures



June 12, 1951 D. B. CARLETON ETAL APPARATUS FOR MAKING STRANDED WIRE smucruazs Filed June 6, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet l W mm m mmw w c v MWAM W w M flww mu Q aw x @wfi 2 k w, r v & V Q \\Q N g \N U N 515:: NNN m MN. msQQ. QM Q Q v -m-m h Q June 12, 1951 D. a. CARLETON ETAL 2,556,164

APPARATUS FOR MAKING smmnsb WIRE STRUCTURES Filed June 6, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 June 1951 0. B. CARLETON ETAL 2,556,164

APPARATUS FOR MAKING STRANDED WIRE STRUCTURES Filed June 6, 1947 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 liwenlm .9: 04AM 5 CflELETO/V 4/10 WILL/4M H. finjgae, 4 fawzmr 4,&;a

standard stationary itype closing :die.

Patented June 12, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR MAKING STRANDED WIRE STRUCTURES Dana B. Carleton and William H. Simcoe, Trenton, N. 3., assignors to The American Steel and Wire flompany of New Jersey, a corporation of New Jersey Application June 6, 1947, Serial N 0. 752,994

"7 Claims.

,composed of a plurality ,of wire components, the

:strands ibeing Wound or laid in longitudinal @shelices i11:an:assemb1ed radial relation about a similar wirestrand or hemp rope core.

In making :stranded wire structures, strand 1preforming :devices are sometimes used with a In some :cases when the preforming device .is omitted, a rotary wclosing die is used to form the cable. 1Heretofore it was not thought feasible to com b'ine the preforming .device with a rotary closing die because of inherent diificultiesin so combiniing them. e -have found that bycombining the twooperationsina continuous manner and by :clriving *the rotary closing :die :at the same rotation'al'speed as the preforming-hea'cl it is possible 1-,to satisfactorily combine these two types of machines.

llt is:an object-of our "invention to provide ap rparatus aior 'fmaking a stranded wire structure having improved :physical characteristics.

Thist'and other objectswill be more fully ap- :parent after zreferring'to the following specifica- Etion and attached drawings =in which :Fi'gure lris adiagrammaticsketchlof one form :of apparatus forcarrying out our invention;

:Figure52 isanenlarged perspective .view of'part moi Ethe apparatus 10f Figure '1 with certain parts :broken away; Figure 13 :is a vertical sectional view taken through :the'shaft IB to therightofplate 28 in ,FigureB;

'EFigure 14 is :a fragmentaryview similar :to Figture '1 showing :a second embodiment of :our invention mounted inthecradles 4 are the supplylspools on which the wire structures it :are reeled.

Equally l 2 Mounted axially on one end of tube I is a hollow mast 'I through which passes the core component 9 of the stranded wire structure. The mast "I is providedwith'ahole 8 in its end in which the closing head of the present invention is mounted and secured by means of a key It and a setscrew II.

A series of lead sheaves I2 are mounted on the :tube a! radially about the mast l. The tube l and :related structure described above is that commonly usedin making stranded wire structures.

Whenthe closing machine is inoperation, the wire structures-i6 pass from their-supply spools 5, througha system ofguide sheaves andbushings :to the leadsheavves EIZ from whence they pass to the closing head of the present invention at which apoint 'they are twisted or assembled by the rotating action of the tube I to form the finished I3. The assembled stranded wire-structure I3 then passes to a haulloi'frmechanism I 4 andthence to a take-upmecha- ,nism which Winds the strandedtwire structure on a'storage reel l5. The wire structures 6 are pulled from their spools '5 "through the closing head by the hauI-oif mechanism I4. The rate at which the haul-toil mechanism I lpulls the wirestruc- Ltures Birom-their supplyspools'fi, together with the :rotating speed of the tube I, determines the Jhelical'length .or lay 'of the wire structures 6 in ,theassembledziorm of the stranded wire structure I3.

Referring :to zFigur.e:2,'Which shows the details of ourdnvention, the reference character It represents a steel shaft having an axial hole I! therein which permits passage 'thereth'rough of the score component .9. The end of the shaft :which is mounted in the mast :TI has a reduced 21301171011 18 and ,a keyway It to receive key HI Mounted .onshaft :IE, perpendicular to the axis thereof is'a circular steel guide plate at having ;an integral hub ,2! threaded into which. are setscrews22 whichhold it in itsadjusted operative position. Theguideplate'zllis adapted for longitudinal and tradialimovement along and around rsh'aft Hi. The face ofhub U is provided within- :dexmarksi23which together with 'a scribed reference'line 24 on :the surface ofshaft I6 parallel to ;=its :axis, are used :to indicate the radial adjustment :of the guidezplate 2E9. The reference line '24 is also :provided with graduation marks &25 which are used to indicate the longitudinal ad- =justmentof the guideiplateifl. Mountedin guide :plate'Zfl are plurality of equally spaced tungsten carbide guide bushings 26 which are arranged with their axes converging toward theentrance of the closing die so that in efifect the axes .ex-

tended define a right cone.

of equally spaced holes 39 equal in number to the guide bushings 25. These holes are located radially about the axis of shaft l and equidistant from it with their axes forming an angle with the axis of shaft l6. Theseholes 3D serve to receive replaceable quills 3| which are adjustably mounted therein. The quills 3| consist of hardened steel cylinders in the surfaces of which are cut helical grooves 32. As best shown in Figure 3, eachquill 3| has a pin 33 which facilitates its rotation in its mounting hole and which together with scribed index marks 34 around the hole 39 are used to indicate the radial adjustment of the quill 3|. Each quill 3| is locked in its operating position by means of a setscrew 35 which is threaded into the plate 28 directly above each of the holes 39.

The outside edge ofplate 28 is provided with a shoulder 35 on which is mounted a replaceable steel spacer tube 31 which serves as the support for the rotary die assembly. The spacer tube 3'5 is provided with a plurality of inspection windows 38. Located between the windows 38 of the spacer tube 31 and cut into the internal surface thereof are longitudinal grooves 39. Mounted on the free end of the spacer tube 31 is the back chuck plate 40 of the rotary die assembly. The back chuck plate 49 consists of a circular steel plate having a large tapered central hole 4|, around which are arranged a plurality of holes 42 which are in axial alignment with the grooves 39 in the spacer tube 31. The back chuck plate 40, spacer tube 31, and plate 28 are held in rigid assembly by means of bolts 43 which pass through the holes 42 in the back chuck plate 49, the

grooves 39 in the spacer tube 31', and are threaded into companion tapped holes 44 in the plate 28. The back chuck plate 45 is also provided with two tapped holes 45, the axes of which are parallel to the axis of the shaft l5 and which have studs 49 threaded therein. The front chuck plate 41 is similar in size and shape to the back chuck plate 49 and is provided with two clearance holes 48 through which the studs 45 pass. Nuts 49 and wear washers 50 are mounted on studs 45 to permit longitudinal adjustment of the front chuck plate 41. Four mating steel jaw pieces 5| arranged parallel to the axis of shaft l6 are positioned between the chuck plates 49 and 41. The ends of the jaw pieces are tapered and mate with the tapered holes in the chuck plates 49 and 47. The jaws 5| are provided, on their interior surfaces, with rectangular longitudinal recesses 52 positioned in each of which is a fiat cushion 53 made of leather or felt. Also positioned in the recess 52 of each jaw is a flat steel bearing or pressure plate 54 provided with a lip portion 55 on one end thereof. In the square cavity thus formed by the four pressure plates 54 are assembled the four segments of the rotary closing die 56. By this arrangement adjustment of nuts 49 will result in the radial convergence of the jaws 5| together with their companion cushions 53 and bearing plates 54, thereby compressing the segments of the rotary die 56 about the wire rope cable [3 being fabricated therein. Each of the four segments of the rotary die 56 has a plurality of grooves 5i therein so constructed that they will mate with the grooves 51 4 in the adjacent segments to form continuous helical grooves in the interior of the assembled die. The helical grooves, thus formed, correspond to the helical shape of the component strands 5 of the wire rope cable l3 contained therein. The pitch of these grooves is slightly greater than the pitch of grooves 32. The front chuck plate 4? is provided with two tapped holes 58 whose axes are parallel to the axis of the shaft l6. Threaded into the holes 58 are two studs 59 on which is positioned a flat steel thrust plate 59 which is provided with clearance holes 6| to permit passage of the studs 59 therethrough. A clearance slot 52 is provided in the center of plate 59 to permit passage of the completed cable l3. Hexagon nuts 63 and wear washers 64 mounted on the studs 59 permit longitudinal adjustment of the thrust plate 69 therealong. The thrust plate 60 may be brought into contact with the ends of rotary die 56 so that this adjustment permits the adjustment of the rotary die 56 along the longitudinal axis of the wire rope cable 13 and also permits the thrust plate 55 to absorb the longitudinal thrust occasioned by the drag of the cable i3 through'the die 56 when the closing head is in operation. V

In preparing for the production of a wire rope cable, the closing head of the present invention, with the quills 3| and parts 5|, 53, 54, 56, 69, 63 and 64 removed, is mounted in the mast l of the closing machine and secured by means of key I9 and setscrews H. The component strands 6 are conducted from their supply spools 5, over the lead sheaves l2, through bushings 25 in guide plate 20, thence through the quill holes 39 in plate 28 after which they pass through the tapered holes in the chuck plates 49 and 41. The ends of the strands 6 arethen connectedto a cable which has been reeved about the drums of the haul-off mechanism I4 and secured to the reel 15 mounted in the take-up mechanism. The machine is put into operation and the rotating action of the tube causes strands 6 to be twisted radially about the core component 9 thereby creating the general form of the assembled wire rope cable l3. The machine is stopped and the individual strands 6 are wrapped into the grooves 32 of the quills 3|. Simultaneously with the wrapping procedure the quills 3| are inserted.

in the holes 39 of the plate 28 and rotated to their proper setting where they are secured by setscrews 35. It is to be understood that the rate at which the strands are being pulled through the closing head by the action of the haul-off mechanism l4 and the rotating speed of. the tube I are properly coordinated, through the medium of gearing or other means, to produce a lay of the desired pitch. The selection of the quills 3| to be mounted is determined by the lay and the diameter of the finished wire rope cable l3'being fabricated. After the quills have been set in their operating position, the guide plate 29 is adjusted longitudinally and radially until the component strands 5 passing from the guide bushings 26 to the quills 3| enter the quill grooves 32 in a tangential manner. The machine is again put into operation and the preformed strands are twisted together to form a short section of preformed wire rope cable of the desired lay. The machine is again stopped and the rotary die is assembled about the wire rope cable |3 thus formed; The lay and rope diameter also determine the selection of the rotary die. It is imperative that the quills and rotary dies be matched for each condition of cable diameter and lay length. In asasses-e4 sembling the rotary dies three of the jaw pieces 5"! are positioned between the chuck plates 40 and. Three of thecushions 53 and three of the pressure plates 54 are then positioned in the recesses52 of these jaw pieces 5 I. The four segments of the rotary die 56 are next inserted in the cavity thus formed and assembled radially about the wire rope cable 13. The segments of the'rotary die are assembled so that the inner ends of the dies fall at the point of twist and are also in contact with the *lip'portion 55 of the pressure plates 54. The rotary die is then "converged about the cable by rotation of the nuts 49 on the-studs 46. After the dies havebeen converged, the thrust plate 60, washers and nuts 53 are mounted on the studs 59. Thrust plate! is then advanced longitudinally along the wire ropec'able 'I'3,'by rotationof nuts 63, untilit is in contact with the ends of the rotary dies56. The

machine is again placed in operation and minor adjustments, if necessary, aremade'until the'rope emerging from the die is free from any die' or scratch marks and 'the openings between the component strands 6 of the completed cable are equalized. The closing pressure of the rotary die 56 is then established by further rotation of nuts 49 and the machine is put into operation and the entire required length of wire rope cable I3 is fabricated.

It is to be understood that the distance from i the point of emergence of the strands from the :preforming devices to the .point of twist or convergence will vary in the approximate ranged from 4 to lZtimes-the diameter of the wire rope cable for any given diameter. Provision is made for varying this distance through the medium of a series-of replaceable tubes 31 of various lengths, which together with the longitudinal adjustment of thedies 56 permit-the dies 56 to be accurately positioned at the point of twist for all requirements within this range.

The present invention permits the simultaneous use of a preforming device and a rotary closing die, and further permits the incorporation, of all the beneficial results arising from r. the use of these devices, into anywire rope cable fabricated thereon. These results are achieved "by'preforming the componentstrands inthe preforming section and .then delivering these preformed strands to the rotary die at their point of convergence without distorting the shape of the strands and while maintaining the strands in their proper radial andplanetary relationship about the core component.

The stranded wire structure so produced will be relatively free from residual stresses, the strands on the core will be closely and evenly spaced, free of die marks, round and will have a higher modulus of elasticity than previous stranded wire structures of comparative material.

Figure 4 discloses schematically a slight modification of our invention. In this embodiment the quill type preforming head is replaced by a roller type preforming head of the type disclosed in the patent to Blamire, No. 1,945,799. This type of preforming head has a set of three rollers 61 for performing each strand B8. The preforming 7 head 66 is provided with a three arm basket 69 which encloses the rollers 61. The basket 69 is bolted to the end plate III which is provided with openings through which the strands 68 pass. The end plate is fastened to an adapter H which fits within the bore of the mast 12. A rotary die holder 13 of the type disclosed in Fig- -ure 2 is fastened to the end of the apreforming head-66. The rollers 61 "are rotatablyrmounted on rotatable plates l4, l5 and T6. The outer plates 14 and 16 are keyed to arhollow shaft 11 through which passes the centralstrand .68. The intermediate plate 15 is rotatably mounted :upon

an inner collar 18 which is keyed to the 'shaft ET].

The plate'lfi "has an inwardly extending .ilange 1-9 on one side and a retaining ring Won the other side between which is embraced a peripheral :rib on the collar'l8. Bolts 8| are provided to hold the retaining ring 'Bilin place. The outer .ring 15 may be adjusted rotatably .upon the inner collar 18 by means of a worm .82 mounted on ashaft 83 which is rotatably supported in bearings 34 carried by the collar 15. The worm 82 engages teeth Bii-on theperiphery -of collar 18. Thexouter plates 14 and 16 are adapted to be moved axially along'the shaft 11 by means of screws86-and 81 which pass through threaded apertures in the collars 0r carriers 14 and 16, The endsro'f each of the shafts are oppositely threaded, so "that 'when the shafts are turned in one direction, the

collars l4 and 16 are simultaneously moved toward the middlecarrier 15, and when rotated in the other direction, the carriers are moved simultaneously away from'the central carrier 15. The shafts are formed without threads at their middle portions and pass through apertures in the inner collar 18. Collars 88 are provided-on the shafts 86 and =81 on each side ofythe inner collar 18. Each screw and 81 is :providedwith a p'inion 8-9 secured to its inner end which are arranged to engage with an interior ring gear I90. The 'gear QU is secured around the periphery 'o'ta collar 91 which is-rotatably seated upon the shaft 1 7. "Iheshaft 11 rotates with a guide plate "92 which is bolted to the end plate HI.

Otherwise the operation of the machine is'the same as'tha't described in Figures lto 3.

While two embodiments of my inventionhave been shown and described, it'will be apparent that other adaptations andmodifications may be made without departing from the scoperoi' the following claims.

1. In a machine for making stranded wire structures from a plurality of components, the combination including a rotatable guide plate having a plurality of guides mounted therein, a rotatable plate spaced from said guide plate and having a plurality of openings therethrough arranged atan angle 'to'th'e axis of rotation, a quill in each of said openings, each of said quills having a helical groove in the periphery "thereof, means for adjusting the position of said quills in said openings, a hollow shaft for supporting said plates, a pair of chuck plates, means for fastening one of said chuck plates to therot-atable plate, means for moving the second of said chuck plates to and from the first chuck plate, each of said chuck plates having opposed axial tapered holes therein, a plurality of jaw pieces in said tapered holes, eachv of said jaw pieces having tapered sides mating with the tapered sides of the tapered holes, a plurality of die segments mounted in the cavity formed by the jaw pieces, a plurality of matching helical grooves in the die segments, and means for rotating the guide plate, rotatable plate and dies at the same angular velocity.

2. In a machine for making stranded wire structures according to claim 1, a thrust plate adjustably supported by the second chuck plate and bearing against said dies, and means for ,inoving the thrust plate with respect to the second chuck plate tovary the distance between the quills and the die.

3; In amachine for making stranded wire structures from aplurality of components, the combination including a rotatable preforming .same angular velocity, said preforming head comprising: a rotatable plate having a plurality of openings therethrough arranged at an angle to 9 .the axis of rotation, a quill in each of said openings, each of said quills having a helical groove in theperiphery thereof, and means for adjusting the" position of said quills in said openings.

4.111 a machine for making stranded wire structures from a plurality of components, the

combination including a rotatable preforming head for forming helices in the individual comp'onents, a rotary closing die, a plurality of helical grooves in the closing die, the pitch of said grooves being greater than the pitch of the helicesoriginally formed in said components,

means for pulling the components through the preform-mg head and then through the closing die, and means for rotating the'preforming head I and die at the same angular velocity.

5.1In' a machine for making stranded wire structures from a plurality of componentsthe combination including feed means rotatable about a longitudinal axis for supporting the in- :dividual components in spaced relationship, a rotary closing die toward which the components converge fromthe feed means, a rotary preforming head located between the supporting means and the closing die for forming helices in the individual components, said preforming head comprising means for supporting each com ponent at a plurality of points as the components converge toward the closing die, means for pulling-the components through the preforming head and then through the closing die and means for rotating the preforming head and die at the same angular velocity.

6. In a machine for making stranded wire structures from a plurality of components, the

combination including a rotatable preforming 5U head for forming helices in the individualcomponents, a pair of chuck plates, means for moving' one of said chuck plates to and from the other of .said chuck plates, each of said chuck plates having opposed axial tapered holes there- .8 in, a plurality of jaw pieces in said tapered holes, each of said jaw pieces having tapered sides mating with the tapered sides of the tapered holes, a plurality of die segments mount'edin the cavity 5 formed by the jaw pieces, a plurality of matching helical grooves in the 'die segments, and means for rotating the preforming head and dies at the same angular velocity.

7, In a machine for making stranded wire structures from a'plurality of components, the combination including a rotatable preforming head for forming helices in the individual components, a rotary closing: die, means for pulling the components through the preforming head and then through the closing die, and means for rotating the preforming head and die at the same angular velocity, said preforming head comprising a series of rotatable plates having a, plurality of grooved'rollers rotatably mounted on the circumferences thereof, the said rollers having their axes perpendicular to an angle to theaxis of rotation of the said plates, the outermost of the said plates being mounted for axial adjustment relative to an intermediate plate and an UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Moxham Mar. 9,1886 Smith Mar. 23, 1909 Connor Oct. 22, 1929 Frank Nov. 15, 1932 Connor May 2, 1933 Blamire Feb. 6, 1934 Hill Feb. 29, 1934 Riddle Nov. 2, 1937 Somerville June'13, 1939 Koppel June 26, 1945 Ramstedt Nov.- 19, 1946 Wiser g Dec. 31, 1946 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Dec. 6, 1928 Great Britain l May 27, 1936 France Apr. 22, 1930 Number Number 

